Caroline went into her sitting-room, brought out pen and ink and foolscap, dictionaries and Latin grammar; but when she sat down to work, her usual pleasure and eagerness had flown. She could hear Dennis whispering in the next room and one or the other child putting a pertinent remark in a very unsleepy voice; but she knew them well now. By the time she had changed her dress and had gone downstairs, both little voices would be hushed in sleep. Camilla's few words to her just as they parted haunted her, but instead of that glow of satisfaction which would surely have come had they been spoken under other circumstances, they brought a renewed touch of heartache. After a while she put away her books and writing. "Assuredly," she said to herself, "love goes hand-in-hand with sorrow. When I had no one to love, nothing to care for, nobody to make me anxious, I never had tears in my eyes as I have them now. If only tears would do some good! But how _can_ I help her? what can I do? I have the sort of feeling that I ought to do something, but what--what?" She was still standing by the window, looking at the beautiful evening sky, when a maid came into the room softly. "If you please, miss," she said, "would you come downstairs and see Mr. Haverford? He says he would like to speak to you." Caroline whipped round from the window. "Mr. Haverford! He was not expected, and both Mr. and Mrs. Brenton are out." "Yes, miss, I told him so; but he said he wanted to see you. He hasn't got any luggage; I don't think he means to stay. He's come in his motor, miss." Caroline paused only an instant. Her brows had met with a frown--a sign that she was moved and nervous. "Please say I will be down directly." She went towards her bedroom with the intention of changing her dress, and then she checked herself. Stealing into the children's room, she whispered to Dennis that she was going downstairs. The maid nodded her head; the children were quite quiet, and Dennis herself looked half asleep. As she went slowly down the broad staircase Caroline saw him. He was standing in front of the fire in the hall warming his hands. "Both Mr. and Mrs. Brenton are out--a rare occurrence," she said; "but it is a village festival...." She gave him her hand, and as he took it she coloured very faintly. "Yes, so I hear. I am rather glad to see you alone." His tone was terse. As Caroline moved forward to the fire he said, "I have come down to ask for news of Camilla. Can you give me any?" The girl looked at him for an instant. "She was here to-day," she said. "Here?... What time?" "She came in the morning. I understand she had travelled straight through from Devonshire, only changing stations in town." He caught his breath in a way that was very like a sigh, and sat down, half shutting his eyes. "Then she wished to avoid me," he said. "Where has she gone?" When Caroline told him, he just nodded his head and said--